Vanilla Honey Cake Topped with Fresh Clementines

I am a bit obsessed with delicious honey cake! It’s super moist, slightly tangy, and not overly sweet. And while it’s flavorful enough to eat plain it just looks so gorgeous topped with honey-sweetened whipped cream and fresh clementines (or berries)!

Vanilla Honey Cake with Clementines

Nothing beats a great vanilla cake, right? And this one is tasty — and simple to make — it’s become one of my go-to bakes. And I am pretty sure once you taste it, it will become one of yours too!

What makes this cake special is the honey. It gives the cake a wonderfully made-from-scratch, not-too-sweet taste. And also helps (along with the buttermilk) give the cake a gorgeous moist and tender crumb.

How to Make this Easy Honey Cake Recipe

This honey cake comes together easily with just a few basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to do (see below for the full recipe).

Honey Cake Ingredients:

This cake comes together easily with just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need.

• ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
• BAKING POWDER
• BAKING SODA
• SEA SALT
• FULL-FAT BUTTERMILK
• HONEY: You can really taste the honey in this cake, so make sure to pick one you love. I like to use a clover flower or wild flower honey, which are both pretty mild in taste and pair well with the citrus.
• PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
• UNSALTED BUTTER
• SUGAR
• EGGS
• HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM
•  FRESH CLEMENTINES: You can also use fresh berries or other toppings of your choice

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. PREP: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter or baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment.
2. SIFT THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. BEAT THE EGGS: In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs together and set aside. 
4. MIX WET INGREDIENTS: Mix the buttermilk, honey and vanilla extract together in another small bowl. Set aside.
5. CREAM. BUTTER AND SUGAR: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. ADD THE EGGS: With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the eggs until fully combined.
7. ADD IN DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS: Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in a third of the flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula, and then mix in half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat two more times. 
8. ADD BATTER TO PANS AND BAKE: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until the cake is starting to turn golden, springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
9. COOL THE CAKE: Transfer the cake to a wire rack to let cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
10. FROST THE CAKE: Whip the cream with up to 1-2 tablespoons of honey. I’d recommend starting with 1 tablespoon and adjusting to taste as needed. Just before serving, dollop the top of the bottom cake layer with the whipped cream, then top with the remaining cake. Frost the top of the stacked cake with whipped cream and then drizzle the cake with honey. If you’d like, garnish with clementines (or berries) and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar).

MORE RECIPE TIPS:

And that’s all you need to do to make the best honey cake out there! Here are a few more tips to make sure your cake comes out perfectly every time.

• CLEMENTINES: Clementines are the smallest type of mandarin orange. They are sweeter and easier to peel than tangerines. The Cuties and Sweeties you see in the grocery store are both clementines. I used organic Cuties in this recipe.
• FROSTING OPTIONS: I love to give the look of this naked honey cake. But if you’d prefer to go with a more traditional frosting, try this easy buttercream frosting or this tangy marscapone frosting.
• PAN SIZE OPTIONS: You can also bake this on 2 9-inch round cake pans for 30-35 minutes or in 3 6-inch round cake pans for 25-30 minutes. 
• MAKE-AHEAD: This cake is best eaten right after adding the whipped cream. You can bake the cake several hours ahead of time and then just frost it right before serving.

Love this cake recipe? You might also like:

THE BEST VANILLA BUTTERMILK CAKE
LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
EASY CHERRY ALMOND RICOTTA CAKE

Vanilla Honey Cake with Fresh Clementines

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• Author: Laura | Growing Up Cali
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 10–12 servings 1x

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Description

This rustic honey cake is super moist, easy to make and so incredibly good! Eat it plain or top it with some fresh whipped cream and your favorite fruit.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup full-fat buttermilk at room temperature
• 3/4 cup honey, plus more for whipped cream and serving
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh clementines (or berries), for serving (optional).

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Instructions

1. PREP: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter or baking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment. Don’t skip this step. The honey can make the cake sticky and hard to remove from the pan.
2. SIFT THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. BEAT THE EGGS: In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs together and set aside. 
4. MIX WET INGREDIENTS: Mix the buttermilk, honey and vanilla extract together in another small bowl. Set aside.
5. CREAM. BUTTER AND SUGAR: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. ADD THE EGGS: With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the eggs until fully combined.
7. ADD IN DRY AND WET INGREDIENTS: Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in a third of the flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula, and then mix in half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat two more times. 
8. ADD BATTER TO PANS AND BAKE: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until the cake is starting to turn golden, springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes (depending on your oven).
9. COOL THE CAKE: Transfer the cake to a wire rack to let cool for 10 minutes, and then run an offset spatula or butter knife around edges of pan to loosen cakes, and then unmold onto the rack. Remove parchment and allow to cool completely before frosting.
10. FROST THE CAKE: Whip the cream with up to 1-2 tablespoons of honey. I’d recommend starting with 1 tablespoon and adjusting to taste as needed. Just before serving, dollop the top of  the bottom cake layer with the whipped cream. Then top with the remaining cake. Frost the top layer cake with whipped cream and then drizzle the cake with honey. If you’d like, garnish with clementines (or berries) and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar).
11. MAKE-AHEAD: This cake is best eaten right after adding the whipped cream. You can bake the cake several hours ahead of time and then just frost it right before serving.

Notes

• FROSTING OPTIONS: If you’d prefer to go with a more traditional frosting, try this easy buttercream frosting or this tangy marscapone frosting.
• PAN SIZE OPTIONS: You can also bake this on 2 9-inch round cake pans for 30-35 minutes or in 3 6-inch round cake pans for 25-30 minutes. 

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American